Silchar, July 27: A day after announcing a state of high alert in the Cachar sector of the Indo-Bangladesh border because of a military build-up on the other side, the BSF said it suspected a group of smugglers of passing on “sensitive information” to the Bangladesh Rifles.

A BSF official said border sentinels got wind of the information leak after jawans were asked to “take guard” and villagers advised to be vigilant to signs of aggression from Bangladesh troops stationed just across the Surma river.

“As soon as these orders were given, we observed that Bangladesh Rifles troops took up positions near the bunkers they had dug earlier,” the official said.

He said the BSF had identified the smugglers who were working as conduits for the Bangladesh Rifles. “The smugglers, all Indian, use SIM cards of Bangladesh mobile service providers to pass on strategic information.”

The official claimed that the BSF had not arrested the “moles” yet because such action might give rise to “communal complications” in the area. “The BSF has instead solicited the support of the Village Defence Force to strengthen the civil security set-up.”

The BSF yesterday asked all primary and secondary schools along the border in Kathigorah block of Cachar to suspend classes for an unspecified period, citing a “war-like” situation along a 32-km stretch of the eastern frontier.

In a release this afternoon, BSF deputy inspector-general (Cachar sector) Ashwini Kumar Singh accused Bangladesh Rifles of reneging on its commitment not to indulge in provocation. The assurance had been given during a flag meeting on July 4.

Singh said bunkers all along the stretch from Amulshid to Beyabail villages, just across the border, “demonstrates their aggressive posture”.